Faith and Nations

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

Dear Listeners and Supporters of the OCN,

For Paul, the paramount follower of Christ there was neither Jew nor Greek. Everyone, no matter what their belief, is one with Christ. I believe we have allowed ourselves to be separated by categories, political parties, and gender definition. There are rich and poor, thin and overweight, and yet the image and likeness of God in each person is not different.

In June, a major decision was made by the Supreme Court of our country that has great implications for Faith and the Nation we live in. It was reported on every major news outlet. I will quote one here, ABC News:
“The Supreme Court handed down two rulings today bolstering same-sex marriage by ruling part of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and allowing a lower court ruling to stand that struck down California’s Proposition 8 ballot initiative, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

In the first decision, the court ruled today that a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples, is unconstitutional.
And in a separate opinion, the court dismissed a case that asked the court to overturn a lower-court decision striking down the California marriage law. The decision paves the way for marriages to resume in California.”

In my opinion, the day this ruling was handed down was not a great day for children and families of our nation, as I heard one person call it in the media. It was a tragic day when the government that promoted and passed the Defense of Marriage Act didn’t even show up to defend its own law, a law that declared what everyone in the world knows to be the true teaching of GOD that a man and woman are made for each other and are to be joined in Marriage.

Let’s get this straight. This is not to negate that people of the same sex can love and respect each other. I understand that. But moving things to the level of same-sex marriage and then to those couples, no matter how wonderful as human beings, raising children sets us on a slippery slope leading to a cliff, rather than on a clear road leading us to a higher existence.

What is hard for me to comprehend is what part of “thou shalt not” we don’t get. If we as a society think for one minute we can rewrite and reinterpret the word of God, well, what can I say except that we can’t? Please remember, He is the creator, and we are the creation of His love.

I can hear some parents saying, “Well, it’s okay. Today’s decision really doesn’t affect us too much. We can just go off and homeschool our children. We can go and live in small communities that believe like we believe.” This is not the answer, my friends. It is time for the silent majority to speak up. We were made male and female the last time I checked.

The decisions of the Supreme Court today have so many ramifications that no one is talking about. They will be soon. Do you think for one moment that this issue is over with? NO. It will continue, as the advocates of same-sex marriage tell us, until they are recognized in all states.

The ramifications will be felt in Church-State relations and in the teaching of a moral code to our children who are the future leaders of this once great nation. The Tax-Exempt status shared by all faiths in this country will come into question. And no, that is not about just money. Its underpinnings are connected to our freedom to worship as we choose.

We will deal with the results of this court’s decision on multiple occasions in the weeks and months ahead, and I hope the silent majority will begin to see the need to do so.

Think hard, my friends, and pray for our nation and her people. I believe, as I hope you do, that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. I can and do love all people, and I know many gay and lesbian people. But human beings are the supreme creation of God, and therefore we have to get it right. Let us remember that it is in His image that we are created and not in an image we choose to create of what we think God wanted. As His creation, we are not defined by our passions.

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